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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Radiol Imaging 2021; 31(02): 409-420
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1734225
Review Article

Pulmonary Arterial Dilatation: Imaging Evaluation Using Multidetector Computed Tomography

Sreenivasa Narayana Raju   *
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Niraj Nirmal Pandey    *
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Arun Sharma 
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Amarinder Singh Malhi
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
,
Siddharthan Deepti 
2   Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi India
,
Sanjeev Kumar
1   Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
› Author Affiliations Funding Information None.
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Abstract

Pulmonary artery dilatation comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders. Early diagnosis is important as the presentation may be incidental, chronic, or acute and life threatening depending upon the etiology. Cross-sectional imaging plays an important role, with CT pulmonary angiography being regarded as the first line investigation in the evaluation of pulmonary artery pathologies. Moreover, effects of pulmonary artery lesions on proximal and distal circulation can also be ascertained with the detection of associated conditions. Special attention should also be given to the left main coronary artery and the trachea-bronchial tree as they may be extrinsically compressed by the dilated pulmonary artery. In context of an appropriate clinical background, CT pulmonary angiography also helps in treatment planning, prognostication, and follow-up of these patients. This review mainly deals with imaging evaluation of the pulmonary arterial dilatations on CT with emphasis on the gamut of etiologies in the adult as well as pediatric populations.

Keywords

pulmonary artery dilatation - pulmonary arterial hypertension - cardiac shunt - vasculitis - pulmonary thromboembolism

* *Sreenivasa Narayana Raju and Niraj Nirmal Pandey contributed equally to the manuscript and share the first authorship.




Publication History

Article published online:
04 August 2021

© 2021. Indian Radiological Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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